


Anything for You

by sinpai_kun



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Child Abuse, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, First Kiss, Gen, Late Night Conversations, Love Confessions, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Swearing, TAG UPDATE, i hope i did these two some justice, i wanted fluff and ended up writing this, precious yoshiko-chan, riko makes some questionable decisions, sleepy morning cuddles ig??, supportive mom mrs. sakurauchi ftw, update: just 3 chapters bc idk how to finish this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-06-18 17:22:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15490860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinpai_kun/pseuds/sinpai_kun
Summary: Yoshiko wakes Riko up in the middle of the night with a phone call. Nothing serious, right?





	1. Chapter 1

It was almost one in the morning when Riko woke up to her phone buzzing, prompting her to roll over and grab it against her better judgement. If she wasn’t awake then, then she was certainly awake after looking at the bright lockscreen up-close. Yoshiko was calling her, and as the redhead’s finger hovered over the receive button, she made a quick prayer to the gods in case she ended up regretting her decision to answer the phone.

 _“Riri, I’m so sorry for waking you up. I just - I didn’t know who to call and I - just please don’t get mad at me, Riri.”_   The second-year sat up, far too confused and concerned to worry about that ridiculous nickname. She took a deep breath before asking, “Yocchan, is something wrong? Are you okay?” Riko heard some sniffling and choked noises before realizing that the first-year was crying. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything while Yoshiko was speaking; her voice had gotten trapped somewhere in her throat.

 _“I just - I was just getting s-some water, a-and I heard the door open, but I - I just ignored it, you know? N-next thing I know, he’s yelling and - he just fuckin’ hits me and the glass breaks but he just kept yelling at me. A-and then he hit me again and kept yelling, telling me t-to clean up, and I did, but he just - he kept saying shit a-and shaking me, and…”_   Yoshiko’s voice faded away as the sobbing and sniffling became a bit louder before she continued.

 _“He was drunk, Riri. I was so scared, I just - I just ran. He followed me to my room, s-so I locked the door on him. I got my phone a-and climbed out the window - I didn’t even think, I just fuckin’ ran. I’m so scared, Riri…”_   It felt like there was an eternity of silence after that, one that only made the fear and worry and anger grow into some twisted ball in Riko’s stomach. Before she even realized it, the second-year was already opening her bedroom door and exiting. Taking another deep breath, she then quietly made her way to the front door while whispering to Yoshiko as calmly as she could.

“Yocchan, where are you?” _“I-I don’t know, Riri…”_   The redhead shivered a bit as she opened the door, the cold night air nipping at her thin nightwear and bare ankles. Carefully and quietly, she made her way outside and down the street, ignoring the sounds her tennis shoes made. “Just stay where you’re at, Yocchan. I’ll find you.” She sighed, looking at the dim street lights as she realized what she was about to do. Yoshiko sniffled some more, the sound reminding Riko more of a lost toddler at the store than a young teenager running from a troublesome home. She was about to end the call and start her trek to Numazu when she heard the other whispering.

 _“Hey, Riri, can you… can you keep talking to me, please?”_   Riko’s heart burned a little as she involuntarily smiled to herself, walking at a brisk pace as she whispered back, “Sure. Anything for you, Yocchan.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: i used google maps for the locations and stuff
> 
> enjoy!

“You’re still at the shrine, right?”

Riko was huffing and puffing worse than the Big Bad Wolf, and honestly, it was better than stopping to let the pain sink in. She was about five or six kilometers away from the Akiba Shrine that they had agreed to meet at, and Riko couldn’t help but mentally note that it was quite the distance. If anything, the redhead was grateful for her phone battery being fully charged when she had left, because then she could open a map on it while continuing the conversation.

The phone also constantly reminded her of the time, which was currently 2:55 AM, which only made Riko more desperate to get to the shrine sooner. While she was worried about her mom noticing her disappearance and such, she knew there was a large chance that she’d understand. Those thoughts quickly faded into the back of her mind when the pianist realized Yoshiko had been talking the entire time. “U-uh, can you repeat that, Yocchan? I wasn’t paying attention…” Riko cringed inwardly a bit when she heard the other sighing, even though she went and repeated herself anyways.

 _“Um, well… I was w-wondering if I could maybe stay with you afterwards? ‘Cause, ya know, it’s Saturday a-and I don’t really wanna go home right now….”_ Riko swore she felt her heart falter right then and there, and not because she felt bad for Yoshiko. She momentarily choked on her own saliva before replying, “I think my mom would be fine with that. Although, I’d need to tell her about all of this so she doesn’t freak out, you know.” There was a long and awkward silence afterwards, and it made Riko want to backtrack as far as she could, but then that would ruin her good intentions, wouldn’t it? It would be unfair to Yoshiko for sure.

 _“I… I guess it’s fine, then, Riri…”_ “Are you sure, Yocchan?” _“Y-Yeah, I’m sure.”_ A sigh involuntarily escaped Riko’s lips as she continued walking. Her mom would most likely feel for Yoshiko and allow her to stay over, but she was also going to be angry with Riko. But at the moment, getting to the first-year’s location before sunrise was of higher importance, mainly because Riko had a promise to keep. It was still dark out, although that didn’t mean the two teenagers were out of the metaphorical woods yet.

For the next twenty or thirty minutes, there was an interplay of silence and random banter. Either Yoshiko would say something that would bother Riko, or the older girl would do something that got the other into a good mood. It kept her mind off of the distance she was walking, off of the pain she felt in her legs and torso every few seconds. And it most certainly kept Riko’s mind from wandering back towards the reason she was heading to the Akiba shrine - Yoshiko running away from her home because of the abuse she was dealing with. Mrs. Tsushima must, at the very least, know about what her daughter goes through, right?

  
“Hey, Yocchan. Can I ask you something?”

_"Um, sure.”_

Riko gave herself a few moments to brace herself mentally, unsure of how the first-year would respond. It was something that had been bothering her for a while - “Why’d you call me and not, say, You-chan? I mean, she lives closer to you, you know.” Silence. Was that supposed to be a good thing? Oh, dear. Worry began to settle in Riko’s mind as she then started overthinking what Yoshiko would say. She had already walked so far for the chuunibyou that having to return home now was not an option.

 _“Well, Riri, the thing is… While I wouldn’t have minded going to You-chan’s place, it just didn’t feel right, ya know? If everyone in Aqours knew about this stuff, they’d be causing more problems than what already exists! But you’re not really like that, Riri, huh? Although, maybe it’s because having my favorite elite little demon around is something I enjoy?”_ Riko didn’t know how to properly respond to her, because it made just as much sense as it sounded biased. While Yoshiko wasn’t wrong at all about how everyone else would react, she could be in regards to why she called for her instead. How complicated.

“I guess that does make sense. But what about Hanamaru-chan? Aren’t you closer to her than me?” Riko was prodding again, but it couldn’t be helped when the redhead felt her heart stumbling over itself every so often. She knew Yoshiko saw her a bit differently in comparison to the rest of Aqours, but just how far did that go, exactly? _“Zuramaru would probably force me to tell everyone or get me to get help from my mom or something. Not that I don’t like her or anything! I just feel like it’s easier to be myself and stuff around you. By the way, Riri, are you almost here yet?”_

Riko quickly pulled away to check the map once more before bringing the phone back towards her ear. It was nice to hear that she made Yoshiko feel personally comfortable in a way that overshadowed the rest of Aqours, as conceited as it sounded. “Um, I’m about, three kilometers away from the shrine. Give me about, say, thirty to forty minutes to get there, okay?” A surprised gasp and hushed confirmation was all Riko needed to finally end the second phone call and hurry along. She didn’t want to run, much less jog, but it seemed to be more efficient than taking her time getting there, especially since she was so close.

\----

Yoshiko was sitting at the bottom of the steps leading up to the actual shrine, wearing only her pajamas and whatever undergarments she had on underneath. Riko wasn’t too surprised to find her barefoot, although it stabbed at her a bit to know that the younger girl had probably injured herself or something. Slowing down to catch her breath, the redhead walked the last couple of meters to where Yoshiko was, easily ensnaring her attention. Nothing was said as she plopped right down next to the first-year, sighing loudly before turning towards the other girl.

“Hey, Yocchan.” It didn’t seem too awkward when they were talking over the phone, but now… Now it was as awkward and tense as it was a few hours ago. Riko looked her over, worry etched on every centimeter of her face. She could easily spot a few bruises in the fading darkness, but the second-year didn’t dare do anything yet. Yoshiko was holding onto herself, head turned away as she glanced back at Riko, a stark contrast to her usual behavior. “You made it, Riri…”

Riko chuckled softly as she scooted a tad bit closer to Yoshiko. “I kind of promised you, didn’t I?” A soft smile seemed to diffuse the girl’s bout of nerves, but that was about it. Gulping, the older of the two slowly extended a hand towards Yoshiko, grazing her fingers against the soft fabric. How long had she been shaking like this? “Hey, it’s okay. I’m right here, Yocchan.” The younger girl hesitantly looked over at Riko, relaxing a bit more, but not as much as the other had hoped for. She wasn’t exactly flinching away or reacting negatively, so that wasn’t too bad. Scooting over again, Riko twisted around a bit and extended her arms out, a la Kanan.

“Come here, Yocchan. I got you.” Slowly but surely, the chuunibyou scooted over and leaned into Riko’s arms, pressing her face into her collarbone. Once it was relatively safe, the second-year wrapped her arms around Yoshiko and subtly began to rock back and forth. Gently running one hand through her dark blue locks, Riko did her best to emulate her own mother, whispering words of comfort as best as she could. It definitely seemed to work, since Yoshiko then reflexively reached out and tightly grabbed onto the older girl’s shirt, softly whimpering. A couple of seconds later, Riko felt her shirt dampening as the first-year began weeping into her chest, fingers digging into the fabric. Gods, it hurt to look at her like this.

It would’ve been moot if she decided to stop comforting Yoshiko, so Riko continued holding her close, stroking her hair and whispering softly as if she were much younger. Before long, the redhead ceased talking as the sobs got a bit louder, opting to simply hold onto Yoshiko as tightly as she could. Sure, it wasn’t entirely comfortable given that they were sitting on the shrine steps, but it was better than denying the first-year the sort of comfort she was seeking. Her voice cracked whenever she tried to talk through the tears, and if she tried to stop altogether, then her movements became more erratic and strained until she gave up and continued crying.

“Shhh, i-it’s okay. I’m here, don’t worry.” Riko didn’t even realize she was tearing up until she had stopped talking, shakily catching her breath against the top of Yoshiko’s hair. There was a lot more whimpering and wavering breaths as the chuunibyou struggled to speak in complete sentences, nuzzling against Riko’s collarbone. “R-Riri… Everything hurts… Riri…” Her heart was no longer stumbling along, but rather stretching itself to a rather painful point, driving Riko to the point of tears once more.

Loosening her grip on Yoshiko, the redhead gently grabbed onto the other girl’s jaw and slowly pushed her away. She had a runny nose and a massive amount of stains from all those tears, eyes rather red from all the crying. Worse yet, there was a large bruise over the first-year’s left cheekbone, already a dark, nasty color. Running a thumb dangerously close to the wound, Riko leaned in a bit and whispered to her, “I’m sure it does, Yocchan. I’m sure it does.” She waited ‘till Yoshiko was done sniffling and catching her breath before continuing on.

“Hey, Yocchan, can I…” The pianist hesitated to continue as the younger girl looked at her, magenta eyes questioning. Tilting her head a bit, her eyes practically pleaded with Riko to finish her question, even though she was unaware of how awkward it would be. Up until now, she was emulating the same behavior as her own mother and/or Kanan, but now it had reached a fine line in their friendship. Heart pounding like a taiko drum, Riko shakily took a breath before looking Yoshiko in the eyes, although it only lasted for a second or two.

“Um, would it be fine if… if I… maybe kissed the pain away?”

Riko could’ve sworn things got awkward for an eternity, blushing as she forced her gaze towards the ground. Whenever she had gotten hurt, her mom would usually comfort her before “kissing the pain away”, which Riko thought was cute in a motherly way. But only if it was between a mother and her child, which she and Yoshiko most definitely were not. It took a crap ton of effort from each muscle in her body to stay in place, rather than getting up and running away in total embarrassment. So much for living life without any regrets.

Her attention was quickly brought back to Yoshiko, who was puffing her cheeks out and sniffling. She, in turn, glanced back and forth from Riko to her pajama pants; the moment she was caught, though, Yoshiko ended up focusing on her clothing instead. Cheeks still puffed out, the first-year blushed and mumbled under her breath, “Sure, I guess you could…” “Hm?” Riko didn’t quite catch what she had said, so she leaned forward and gently bumped her forehead against Yoshiko’s. “Hey… could you repeat that?”

Gold meets magenta about halfway through the silence as Yoshiko blushes harder, swallowing her saliva in hesitation. Speaking just above the height of a whisper, she repeated herself, the red on her cheeks contrasting with the blue-black bruise. Riko felt herself catch a breath as her heart fluttered, cheeks tinted with red as she briefly pulled away. Taking a deep breath, the redhead leaned in once more, slightly shaking from all the pitter-patter going on in her chest.

The first kiss was softer than expected, although it was mainly because Riko went for the tip of Yoshiko’s nose. She smiled a bit when the younger girl’s face began to scrunch up, quickly moving to place a second kiss right next to the corner of her right eye. It couldn’t be helped that the chuunibyou would lean away or flinch immediately following each kiss, although it slowly got on Riko’s nerves. Before she was aware of her own actions, the redhead had gently grabbed onto Yoshiko’s jaw with both hands and leaned in for yet another kiss.

It was undeniable that Yoshiko assumed otherwise at that moment, blushing like mad hell as Riko’s face got closer for the nth time so far. What the first-year wasn’t expecting was for her friend’s lips to come into contact with her bruised skin ever so gently. A tiny “oh” escaped her lips as Riko repeatedly pressed her lips against her cheekbone, sending small sparks of pain with every bit of pressure applied. How unfair of her to do such a thing!

“Ngh, Riri…” Yoshiko ended up having to pinch at Riko’s face to get her to stop kissing her bruise, as nasty and disgusting as it looked. She wasn’t mad at the older girl for going all out like that, but she did seem to find the amount of attention a bit worrying. “Is the pain all gone, Yocchan?” The question caught her off-guard, and it wasn’t long before she realized that the pain had truly been (mostly) kissed away. Just like magic, huh….

Staring at Riko with slightly widened eyes, Yoshiko nodded before bringing a hand up to her own face to gently touch the bruise. Sure enough, she didn’t feel as much pain as she had been feeling before the redhead had started kissing her. If so, then why was her heart still fumbling and struggling to maintain a steady rhythm? “Riri.” In the next moment, Yoshiko was blushing furiously as she leaned towards her little demon, magenta eyes wavering a bit. It was now or never for the chuunibyou, who decided to thank Riko for her actions with an equally embarrassing one of her own.

“Y-Yocchan, what - “ Riko found herself getting cut off by a pair of lips coming into contact with her own, golden hues widening in surprise. She felt her breath being literally stolen from her as the other girl pulled away just as quickly. A blush covered her cheeks as she finally realized that, yes, Yoshiko had actually initiated an bona fide kiss between themselves. Maybe hell had finally frozen over and the fallen angel needed to find something to keep her warm, something like a certain redheaded pianist’s lips…. Or something like that.

Riko wasn’t sure how long they sat in silence, looking away from the other as they played a silent game of “who’s going to say something first.” When she looked up at the sky, she could see faint hints of orange and pink showing against the light blue of the sky, the clear telltale sign of the sun rising. What time was it, anyways?! The redhead looked back down as she turned her phone on - 4 AM. Sighing, she turned it off and looked over at Yoshiko, who was still blushing and now playing with the hem of her shirt. It was becoming difficult to not look at the younger girl and think of how unfair it was for that kiss to be so short, and yet -

A soft buzzing noise pulled Riko away from her thoughts and Yoshiko away from her boredom, alerting both girls to a phone call. After a moment’s worth of panic, they found out that the caller was Mrs. Sakurauchi, who had probably just found out about Riko’s lack of presence in their home. It made sense to worry, since the pianist wasn’t the sort of teenage girl to go sneaking off to do something illegal or shady. So Riko did the sensible thing and answered the phone, holding her breath in case of the event where she got yelled at for leaving the house at night and scaring her mom half to death.

 _“Riko, where are you?! Your father and I woke up because it had gotten cold, only to find the front door open! And you weren’t in your room, either! Just tell me you’re okay so I can pick you up from wherever you ran off to.”_   The teenager sighed, having completely forgotten to make sure the door had been closed since it was still cold out when she initially left. Maybe she should’ve made a note in her haste so her parents wouldn’t have freaked out like that. But she’d still have to explain herself, like she was doing at that very moment.

“Well, mom, you see, it’s a bit difficult to explain. Promise me you’ll listen?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back and just in time for the holidays (sort of)! thank you for enjoying this and waiting for the update, i really appreciate it! enjoy!!

“So Yoshiko-chan is being abused back at home? Oh, gods, that’s terrible…” Mrs. Sakurauchi sighed as she poured herself a cup of coffee, her back turned to Riko. They didn’t speak about the situation on the way home, even if the air between the three had been rather awkward. Once they had stepped foot inside the residence, Yoshiko had asked to borrow their shower, to which Mrs. Sakurauchi agreed to without any hesitation. After her daughter had left to bring the first-year a change of undergarments and clothes ~~(which embarrassed them both)~~ , she continued the conversation in the kitchen.

Riko was sitting at the dining table, still in her pajamas and resting her head on her arms. She worried about how her mother would react if she told her about Yoshiko kissing her, even if the younger girl wasn’t in the room. It was hard enough trying to explain her home situation based on what Yoshiko had already told her, which wasn’t much. The redhead waited until her mom had walked over to sit across the table from her to speak, hesitating with her next words.

“Mom, I know now isn’t the best time to talk about this, but… I-Is it wrong for me to have feelings for Yocchan?” Gold irises reflected their owner’s hesitation and fear as she looked up at the woman. She was about to drink from her cup, and upon hearing Riko’s question, set it back down instead. There was a moment of silence as she looked at her daughter’s face, saw the emotions building behind her soft eyes. Hands wrapped around the cup, she replied with a question of her own; “As in _romantic_ feelings, right? Are you sure about this, Riko?”

There was a brief moment of silence before the teenager answered, picking her head up to look at her mom head-on. “I’m sure, Mom. I mean, w-we sort of kissed already, and I _think_ Yocchan likes me, too…” She suddenly couldn’t tell if the blank expression on her mother’s face was a good thing or a bad thing, which worried her either way. Riko blushed and focused on the grooves and lines on the table instead, listening in on her reply. “Oh, Riko, you know I’d support you two. I just don’t want you to make any mistakes or go too far.”

And for a moment, Riko was as relieved as she was happy to have heard that from her mother. She was just about to express that when she noticed Yoshiko standing near the bottom of the staircase, hesitating to interrupt the mother-daughter scene. Did she just hear the conversation between them? Was she now aware of how Riko felt? The embarrassment quickly set in as Mrs. Sakurauchi caught on and turned around, easily spotting their young guest.

“Ah, Yoshiko-chan. Can I get you anything? Come over here, it’s okay.” The chuunibyou waited for a moment before walking over in the direction of the table. As she sat down, she muttered, “I’m fine, thank you..” Riko looked her over, still struggling to accept that Yoshiko was now wearing her clothes, her undergarments. It was definitely one of the weirdest feelings she felt since she had woken up - something she probably shouldn’t mention at the moment.

Once again, the air became tense and awkward, leaving the three in silence for some time. Mrs. Sakurauchi kept looking at Yoshiko, who was staring at her lap instead, which then made Riko feel awkward for not doing anything. A mess, as one might call it. “Say, Yoshiko-chan.” The younger girl picked her head up the moment the woman said her name, eyes wandering as she continued on. “You don’t have to talk to me about any of it if it makes you feel uncomfortable. And if you have any feelings for Riko, you don’t have to worry about upsetting me or her.” The two high schoolers blushed, both equally embarrassed by that statement. 

Given the lack of a verbal response from Yoshiko, Riko simply assumed she had truly eavesdropped on the conversation she had with her mom. It was truly an awkward moment for her by now. “Well, if you two aren’t hungry, then you should probably get some rest after being up during the wrong hours of the day, no?” Mrs. Sakurauchi was already washing her cup by then, sparing one last glance at the pair before heading over to the stairs and leaving them behind. Silence enveloped the two once more, and another minute went by before Riko had summoned enough courage to get up from where she was seated.

Walking over to Yoshiko, she reached out and lightly tugged on her sleeve with her fingertips, gently speaking. “Come on, Yocchan. You can sleep in my room, if you want.” The chuunibyou turned towards her, and after a moment of hesitation, got up and followed Riko to the staircase. Nothing was said between the two as they made their way to the pianist’s room and entered, with Yoshiko stopping once inside. The redhead turned back and reached out for her, offering a tiny smile and some reassurance; “It’s okay, Yocchan. Come on.”

Grabbing onto the older girl’s hand, the first-year let her guide her over to the bed before letting go to tug on the blanket. Once they had both gotten under the blanket, Riko rolled over to check on Yoshiko, who was starting to curl in on herself. “Hey, you’re safe now, Yocchan. I’m here, it’s okay.” Before she knew what she was doing, the redhead had scooted over to tug the younger girl into a hug, hoping it would make her feel a bit better.

A soft hum was Riko’s answer as Yoshiko wiggled closer to her, head up against her collarbone as a pair of arms snuck around her torso. How long would they be like this before either one or both of them fell asleep? The thought didn’t stick around for long, as a low whisper stole Riko’s attention first. “Hey, Riri… D-Do you actually like me? Like, _for sure_?” Oh gods, she really had eavesdropped on the conversation earlier. The redhead swallowed her saliva and took a deep breath before speaking, tilting her head down and catching the scent of her shampoo on Yoshiko’s dark hair. Strawberries was a weird scent for the chuunibyou, but an oddly calming one, too.

“I do, Yocchan. _I really really like you_.” Once those words had been spoken, Riko sighed into the other girl’s hair and patiently waited for her response. She was about to ask Yoshiko the same pair of questions, but her train of thought was abruptly cut off by another low whisper. “I… I _really really_ like you, too, Riri.” Her breath hitched as she registered the first-year’s confession, a sense of giddiness bubbling up inside of her heart.   
Was this what love was supposed to feel like, even if it was happening during bad times? Riko smiled into Yoshiko’s hair, tightening her grip on the girl’s body just by a little bit. “.. Thank you, Riri.” Pulling away, the redhead moved to get a better look at the other, looking over her face as she replied, “You don’t have to thank me for anything, Yocchan.” In the span of a second, she saw tears building up in those magenta hues as Yoshiko let go of her and brought her hands to her face.

A sense of regret and pain could be felt as Riko froze once again, unable to bring herself to do anything for the younger girl. “B-But I should, ‘cause you came for me even when… when I wasn’t okay, a-and you took care of me. Y-You’ve been nothing but kind, Riri, okay? How am I supposed to…” She was wiping the tears away as quickly as they fell, her words fading away in place of the sniffling that could be clearly heard. Riko frowned and reached out for Yoshiko, unable to hide her own sorrow as she tried to pull the girl into another gentle embrace.

“You don’t have to worry about that, okay, Yocchan? I’m not asking for anything, because I-I see you crying and it hurts me so much, okay? Don’t ever worry about paying me back, just… just keep being yourself. I-I like you when you’re smiling and being yourself, and that’s all I want from you. Nothing else, okay, Yocchan?” Now they were both crying, wiping away their own tears while also trying to hug the other, struggling even harder with the blanket on top of them.

A few minutes into the emotional outburst, the teens had their arms wrapped around each other, their faces dangerously close to each other. As Yoshiko slowly stopped her sniffling, Riko leaned in and pressed another kiss to the bruise on her face before pulling away. Wavering gold met questioning magenta, waiting for what was to be said next. “Yocchan…” “...Yeah?” “What are we?”

The first-year frowned a bit in confusion, asking, “What do you mean, Riri? I-Is this about-” “Yeah, Yocchan, it’s about our feelings for each other. And that kiss…” Her eyes widened a bit after being interrupted, but it didn’t last long before Yoshiko let out a little “ah” before casting her gaze elsewhere momentarily. Looking back at the older girl, she asked again, “Well, what do you think we should be, Riri?”

That was something she hadn’t expected to hear from Yoshiko. The redhead waited for a few seconds before giving up her response; “Well, Yocchan, I think we could be… well, girlfriends, of course.” Yoshiko was looking at her in a way that made her nervous yet excited as her heart started beating faster. The suspense soon no longer existed as they made eye contact for the millionth time that morning, suddenly able to find the middle ground before the first-year could speak.

“Really? Even if I’m all messed up and nothing but bad luck and trouble?” Riko softly hummed as she pulled Yoshiko closer to her, replying, “That hasn’t really stopped me before, you know. Besides, you said it yourself, you enjoy having me around.” The dark-haired girl pressed her face into Riko’s collarbone again, smiling to herself and hugging the second-year closer. “I guess we’ll be together forever, then, Riri.” “I like the idea of that, Yocchan.”

And suddenly, everything was slowly falling into place, bringing a sense of peace and warmth to both the fallen angel and her safe place as they finally found sleep. “... I love you, Yocchan. Sleep tight.”

“... I love you too, Riri. Thank you.”


End file.
